Shouting and ready to ‘bump chests’ with Trump – but nobody moved the needle in the final New York mayoral debate | New York

The second and final debate before early voting in New York City’s mayoral race was a bitter affair, with sharp exchanges and little civility.

As Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani tried to maintain his lead in the polls, his chief rival Andrew Cuomo tried to undermine the 34-year-old state lawmaker’s credibility by dismissing him as a “kid” who he said would steal Donald Trump’s “tuchus.”

Throughout the hour-and-a-half forum, the deep rivalry between Mamdani and Cuomo (the 67-year-old former governor who is now running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary) dominated the stage.

“It’s like two kids in the schoolyard,” said Curtis Sliwa, the hip Republican candidate who has defied calls from Cuomo, wealthy donors and even his own former employer to drop out of the race.

They clashed over education reform, transportation funding, Israeli policy and whether to close the infamous prison on Rikers Island. But Wednesday’s showdown offered several breakthroughs that would change the course of the race.

Both Cuomo and Sliwa argued that Mamdani lacked the experience needed to lead the nation’s largest city; It was a familiar accusation from the councilman who was about half their age.

“The problem is your inexperience,” Cuomo said of Mamdani, noting her long service in government at the state and federal levels.

Mamdani then said, “The thing is, we’ve all had your experience.”

The Mamdani campaign brought numerous guests to the debate to draw attention to Cuomo’s record as governor; among them was Charlotte Bennett, one of the women who publicly accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. Cuomo resigned during his third term as governor following the scandal, which he described as “political.” He denied the allegations and noted that part of Bennett’s case was dismissed by the judge on Wednesday.

Stepping into the fray, described by moderators as “more of a New York character than a policy expert,” Sliwa delivered some of the sharpest songs of the night: “Zohran, your resume could fit on a cocktail napkin and Andrew, your failures could fill a public school library.”

Mamdani is ahead of Cuomo in nearly all recent polls at least a dozen points. Unless Sliwa withdraws, Cuomo is unlikely to close the gap before the Nov. 4 election.

Mamdani’s rise has electrified progressives across the country and offered a new model of leadership at a time when the Democratic party’s old guard is under pressure to exit the left scene.

Throughout the evening, Mamdani sought to portray himself as a candidate for generational and political change. Cuomo and Sliwa “are just talking about the past because that’s all they know,” he said.

“I am the only candidate running with a vision for the future of this city,” he continued, harshly condemning Cuomo as “a desperate man, lashing out because he knows the only thing he cares about, power, is slipping away” and “a puppet of Donald Trump.”

Trump has not endorsed his hometown’s mayoral candidate, but suggested Tuesday that he would prefer Cuomo to Mamdani.

“You never had a job, you never accomplished anything,” Cuomo said during a heated exchange with Mamdani. “You have no reason to believe that you have any value or qualification for eight and a half million lives.”

But the president rose to prominence in the race as each of the candidates insisted they were best equipped to handle the president.

Courting Republicans and Trump voters, Cuomo has repeatedly returned to his record of confronting the president, citing the pandemic and their public squabbles as proof that he has the courage and experience to confront Trump’s threats. He warned that Mamdani winning would be Trump’s “dream” scenario, arguing that the president would use his opponent’s progressive policies as an excuse to take over the city.

Mamdani has vowed to “end the chapter on cooperation between City Hall and the federal government” and said he will oppose federal interventions in the city, calling ICE “a reckless entity that doesn’t really care about the law” in response to a question this week about the immigration raid targeting Canal street vendors in Manhattan.

But according to Cuomo’s allegations, Mamdani accused the former governor of fear-mongering.

Speaking directly to New Yorkers, Mamdani said, “I know what really keeps you going.” “What matters is whether you can afford to live a safe and dignified life in this city. I have plans for our future. My opponents have only fear.”

Sliwa criticized his rivals’ approach and warned against antagonizing the famously mercurial president, who he said held “most of the cards” in his hands.

“My enemies decided to engage President Trump in hand-to-hand combat to prove who is more macho,” Sliwa said. “You can’t beat Trump.”

The debate continued until the end, where the candidates were asked to name one thing New York did right during the pandemic.

Sliwa, who said before taking the stage that he would rather be impaled Braveheart-style than work for Cuomo, said the former governor did nothing right.

Mamdani reminded that it only takes 15 minutes to get the Covid-19 vaccine. “It was a productive experience,” he said.

“Thank you for the compliment,” Cuomo said with a broad smile.

Mamdani was adamant that this was a “city-run vaccination site.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Cuomo insisted.